Date: 2019-12-18

No fewer than four persons died in a motor accident in the late hours of Monday on the Omu-Aran-Oke-Onigbin Highway, in Kwara, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The accident involved an unmarked empty truck heading towards Omu-Aran axis on the highway and an 18-seater Mazda bus marked XB 727 FGB.

An eyewitness said the commercial bus, which was fully loaded with oranges, had a head-on collision with the truck which was believed to be speeding at 9pm, resulting in the death of its driver and passenger.

NAN gathered that the driver of the truck and his motor boy were also killed on the spot.

"The truck dragged the bus with its passengers for a few meters, before pushing it into a ditch," said the eyewitness, who would not disclose his identity.

The accident, however, disrupted the smooth flow of traffic on the busy highway for hours on Tuesday morning as the combined team of men of the Nigerian Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps made frantic efforts to remove the wreckage from the road.

The Commander of FRSC, Omu-Aran Unit Command, Mr Festus Adetunji, while confirming the incident, said three bodies were removed on Monday night from the wreckage.

He said it was during the rescue efforts, which continued on Tuesday morning, that the body of the bus driver was removed and deposited at the mortuary, alongside the other three victims.

Adetunji, who blamed the accident on speeding and dangerous driving, cautioned motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations to stay alive.

"We felt there is the need to put our house in order by coming together as critical stakeholders to interact and discuss the way forward to ensure total compliance, thereby reducing road crashes to the barest minimum.

"Almost 70 per cent of accidents on our roads are caused by human errors through speeding and dangerous driving.

"The job of road safety regulations is a collective responsibility of the stakeholders and everyone is expected to play his or her roles diligently, effectively and efficiently," he added.